Trouble with the Curve

My View:  Trouble with the Curve (2012)  Baseball scout, Gus (Clint Eastwood) could lose his job if he doesn’t sign the latest hot prospect. His boss (John Goodman) is worried that he can’t do the job without help, so he talks Gus’s daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams), into accompany him on his trip. The biggest problem isn’t Gus’s failing eye sight; it’s that he and his daughter don’t really get along.  I enjoyed this film, especially the chemistry between Adams and Timberlake.  Eastwood doesn’t disappoint as the gruff father of Adams who has guilt over leaving his daughter in the hands of someone else after his wife died.  This is a good date night movie.  It has baseball for the guys and  romance between Adams and Timberlake for the girls.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Trouble with the Curve Website

My View:  House at the End of the Street  (2012)  A mother (Elisabeth Shue) and daughter (Jennifer Lawrence) move to a new town. They find out that the house next door was the site of a gruesome murder  where a young daughter killed her parents. The surviving brother is still living in the house and things there are just not right.  Unfortunately, this is a suspense film with very little suspense, and Lawrence isn't asked to do much more that act pissed at her mother and go all mushy at her potential boyfriend.  This is a film that probably looked good on paper (hence getting Lawrence and Shue as cast members), but it needed a much better director to get the most out of the material.  There is one good thing that comes from this film - we found out that Jennifer Lawrence can sing.   My Rating:  Cable   House at the End of the Street Info

My View:  Dredd 3D  (2012)  Set in the future, the U.S. has become one big high-rise city, and the police can only respond to 6 percent of crimes. To expedite things, they have become judge, jury and possible executioners who try criminals on the spot. Now Dredd (Karl Urban) is teamed with a rookie on her first day, and they investigate a triple homicide at a high-rise called Peach Trees. It’s a place that they may never get out of alive.  This is a bloody, violent, high action film that uses the 3D effects to great result.  The action sequences are fast and furious, and Karl Urban pulls of the Dredd character with  bravado.  There is much less camp in this film that the 1995 Sylvester Stallone starring Judge Dredd.  This film takes its self far more serious.  I liked Olivia Thirlby as the rookie partner of Dredd and Lena Headey gives a fine performance as Ma-Ma, the head of the gang that wants to kill Dredd and his partner.  This film is not for everybody due to the violence, but if you are an action film fan, this film is for you and it is worth the extra money to see it in 3D.   My Rating:  Full Price    Dredd 3D Website

Indiefest:  The Master  (2012)  Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix), a troubled war vet, is taken in by “The Master” (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the leader of a mysterious faith-based organization named “The Cause.” Now, will Freddie become an invaluable member of the organization or its downfall?  The reason to see this film is for the performances of Hoffman and especially, Phoenix.  It is a fascinating character study by Phoenix, who really gets into the skin of the troubled and dangerous Freddie.  This is a film that you probably should see twice  because I am sure that I missed a great many of the more subtle nuances of the film with just one viewing.  My only drawback with this film is that it is really long (137 minutes) and some of the scenes are incredibly slow moving but it’s the performances of the actors that make this film a must see.     My Rating:  Full Price     The Master Website

Indiefest:  Sleepwalk with Me  (2012)  Matt (Mike Birbiglia) is a struggling stand-up comedian whose career has come to a standstill. To make things worse, his relationship with his girlfriend (Lauren Ambrose) is also is failing, and Matt has a nasty case of sleepwalking.   This is a funny, smart film based on writer/director/lead actor Mike Birbiglia’s own life.  Birbiglia shows how hard it is to break into the stand-up comic business, and once you get into the business, how hard the life is.  He does it with humor, and his dialogue is just so dead on, and captures a sort of sad sack type of humor.  Ambrose is excellent as the girlfriend who supports Matt at first but soon learns that their relationship will be tested by his profession, especially after he starts using his real life experiences for material.  This is one of the best films I have seen this year.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Sleepwalk with Me

Indiefest:  Liberal Arts  (2012)  Jessie (Josh Radnor) returns to his alma mater for his favorite professor’s retirement ceremony. While on campus, he meets Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen), a 19 year old undergraduate. Now Jessie is torn between the age difference and his attraction for Zibby.   What I loved about this film was the great chemistry between Radnor and Olsen.  They just play off of each other really well.  Olsen has turned into one of the best young actresses out there, and she is perfect in the part of the “old soul” Libby.  Radnor does a marvelous job of taking a story that could have been a little creepy (with the whole age difference) and  making it into a fun and romantic film.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Liberal Arts Info

Forgotten Film:  Fandango  (1985):  Five college friends, part of a group called the Groovers, decide to make a cross-country trip after two of the members find out that they will to be drafted for the Army.  Kevin Costner (in one of his best roles) is Gardner, the leader of the group, filled out by Judd Nelson, Sam Robards, Chuck Bush and Brian Cesak.  This film does a great job blending comedy with really heartfelt drama.  It’s a coming of age film where the guys know this could be their last time together, and it should be savored, just like this film should be by the viewing public.   My Rating:  Full Price   Fandango Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Sleepwalk with Me:  GPS Voice

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Cloud Atlas  (2012)  This film starring Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry and a host of others, is about how our lives can touch people over time.  This film takes place over a great period of time (hundreds and hundreds of years) and most of the cast members play numerous parts.  The film was one of most talked about movies at the Toronto International Film Festival.    Cloud Atlas Website

Until Next Time!

Lawless

My View:   Lawless (2012) During the depression, three brothers (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke) run a successful bootlegging business in Franklin County, Virginia. With corrupt law (Guy Pearce) and a local mob boss (Gary Oldman) wanting to muscle in on the brothers' business, it’s soon up to the brothers to fight back.  I was very disappointed in this film, especially since it has such a great cast, but the film never gets moving in the right direction, which I think is mostly the fault of LeBeouf, who is asked to carry much of the acting load, and he’s just not quite up to the task. Tom Hardy seems to be suffering from Bane aftereffects.  He barely talks in the film, and the usually excellent Jessica Chastain seems to be sleepwalking through the entire film. The film’s action sequences are too few and far between, and I wanted more of Gary Oldman’s character.    My Rating: Cable   Lawless Website

My View:  The Possession (2012) A father (Jeffery Dean Morgan) and daughter (Natasha Calis) go to a yard sale and buy an antique box. Little do they know that the box they now possess is inhabited by an evil spirit, one waiting for the box to be opened so it can unleash a curse. Now the father and his ex-wife (Kyra Sedgwick) must find a way to end the curse or their daughter will die. While watching this film, I kept flashing back to The Shining when the kid talks to his finger saying “Redrum” as the girl who is possessed by the evil being in this film does a lot of talking in a strange voice. The film doesn’t deliver enough scary parts to make up for its slow moving storyline.   My Rating: Cable   The Possession Website

Indiefest:  Robot & Frank (2012)   This film, from Director Jake Schreier, is set in the near future where robots have started taking over tasks that humans normally do, such as caring for the elderly. Frank (Frank Langella) is a retired cat burglar who lives alone.  His only contact with his family are phone calls from his daughter (Liv Tyler), who is always traveling, and weekly visits from his son. Frank has started to show signs of dementia, so his son (James Marsden) brings a robot into the house to take care of Frank. Frank resists at first, as he is set in his ways, and continues taking his daily trips into town to visit the librarian, Jennifer (Susan Sarandon). He soon realizes, though, that the robot can aid him in pulling off one last heist. Langella is terrific as the crusty “second story man” who realizes that things are starting to change, but maybe he can recapture a little of his youth by planning and carrying out the caper.  The friendship that develops between the Robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) and Frank is touching and shows the need of everyone (even the crankiest person) for love and friendship.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Robot & Frank Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All Time)

#16 Best Film

The Maltese Falcon (1941) Humphrey Bogart stars in this classic film as Sam Spade, a Private Investigator who gets caught up in a search for the mysterious Maltese Falcon. Written and directed by the legendary John Huston, the film sets the standard for Film Noir style of film making with its dark Black and White shadows, which is used in almost every inch of this film.  The film has one of the great casts with Sydney Greenstreet, Elisha Cook Jr. , Peter Lorre and Mary Astor. This film made Bogart the star that he was destined to be.   The Maltese Falcon Info

Forgotten Film:   Slap Shot (1977) Paul Newman stars in this comedy as Reg Dunlop, the player/coach of a failing Ice Hockey team called, The Charlestown Chiefs. The team isn’t doing very well, both on the ice and at the box office, when Reg decides to play the Hanson Brothers, three violent hockey goons, and soon the future of the team starts looking up. Newman is hilarious in the role of the savvy and conniving Reg who will do almost anything to keep his hockey team together. But, be warned.  This is not the usual Paul Newman role as just about every other word that comes out of his mouth is a curse word.    Slap Shot Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):   Battleship (2012) An absolute stinker of a film about an alien invasion and a small navy force that has to defeat the alien army. When I saw this movie in the theatre, the audience was laughing at almost every twist and turn. The only thing I liked about this film was Rihanna, who plays a kick ass Petty Officer who likes blowing up things, but she can’t make up for this complete mess.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again    Battleship Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) Do we really need another Resident Evil movie with Milla Jovovich shooting big guns?  I can’t believe that five of these films have been made based off a video game.    Resident Evil: Retribution Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Possession: Truck Costumer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Liberal Arts (2012) Josh Radnor stars and directs this film about a man who returns to his hometown, a small college town, and quickly falls for a young college student, played by Elizabeth Olsen.  I really enjoyed Radnor's last film, 2010's Happythankyoumoreplease and this romantic comedy looks even better.   Liberal Arts Info

Until Next Time!